DOUBLE REVIEW 3

I began this review yesterday, but the lack of decent wi-fi and my boneheaded choice to not save my draft resulted a blank slate. I hope you enjoy this review of the new xx record and the David Byrne/St.Vincent collaboration, because I’m writing it (a second time) through gritted teeth.

The xx- Coexist

The xx blew many people away with their debut record, hooking audiences with simple grooves, reverb-soaked riffs, and compelling male/female vocal interplay. This new release, to be completely honest, is simply the second cd if the group had decided to release the debut as a double album. It’s a side B. The songwriting is the same almost to a fault, and all of the elements from the first record are there without any major changes.

Some may see this as a lack of creativity; I simply see it as a young band putting out more music they know people will like. The lack of any major changes works, because, well, their original sound works. One change I did notice this time around was a more fluid transition between tracks. I recognized and consciously separated tracks in the first record, while I felt a constant current-like smoothness between tracks this time around, which I felt was refreshing.

Overall, the album feels like part 2 of the debut, with a slightly more fluid track list. I grudgingly enjoyed it, but the group is going to have to do something different to keep my attention for their next effort.

Best Tracks: Angel, Chained, Try

David Byrne/St.Vincent- Love This Giant

I haven’t been this excited for an album in a very long time, and I was more than pleasantly surprised with this release from singer/songwriter St. Vincent and former Talking Heads frontman David Byrne. The songwriting is eclectic, charming, and curiously horn driven. Each artist wrote their own lyrics, with one exception being the Forest Wakes, which Byrne wrote. The album is simply delightful, still carrying the weird eclecticism that both artists channel, but in a little funkier, “saxier” (dear lord) fashion.

Overall, I can’t recommend it enough. You’ll be hooked.

Best Tracks: Who, Dinner for Two, Ice Age, Outside of Space and Time…all of it.